I’m visiting five east coast cities over the course of three weeks, mostly busing and crashing on friends’ couches. You can check out past Notes From The Road (which are more international in nature) here.

Friends, would you be disappointed to discover that not every person in Boston has that accent? I was oddly disappointed that I didn’t hear more people talking about being “smah-t” and going to ‘Hah-vahd.” But when the guy at the deli handed me my coffee and said “Here you ahhhhh” I grinned like an idiot.

Other fun things from Boston? Having high tea with Harvard folks – extended pinky, not required. Sitting in Harvard Yard at night, eating frozen yogurt and talking politics/race/relationships. Wandering on and off The Freedom Trail, depending on how boring it was. Deciding not to wait in line forever to see The Old North Church. Eating a lunch of cannolis and coffee. Walking past a barbershop called “Johnny and Gino” and witnessing a man in tracksuit, cutting hair while speaking Italian. Losing at pub trivia, but not caring because I was surrounded by such fantastic people.By the time you read this, I’ll be in New York! Anything I can’t miss in NYC?

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Definitely don't miss the Shake Shack in New York. Great milkshakes, great burgers, adorable location in the middle of a small park and next to the Flat iron building. (go at night, its gorgeous with all the lights on)

Oh! Forgot to add to the above comment – don't miss the Dougnut Plant in New York either. (Did I mention that I like food and my travels often revolve a lot around eating??) You can take a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge after sampling every doughnut they have.

Sounds like you had fun in Boston! Hope you got to get in some good eats (such as in Chinatown or the South End) and got to walk along the Charles as well! The Freedom Trail is a 1x must do, but if you ever come back check out the "hidden" Boston such as more of Cambridge, Somerville, JP and other Metro Boston towns (all off the subway lines) where there are great little shops, amazing food (better than most you get in the city even) and more!

For NYC I agree with the Doughnut Plant suggestion. I would also recommend Macao – they have a great basement bar. Cask, in Murray Hill, has an awesome lamb burger. And I had the best brunch and amazing coffee at Resto. Also check out Gramercy Park if you get a nice day. I also love wandering around the Met (especially if you encounter a rainy day)! If you are into tours there is a literary pub crawl in Greenwich Village which is so much fun!

Definitely the best thing that I've seen since moving to New York exactly a month ago is The Cloisters, which houses the Met's medieval art and architecture collection. It's up at the top of Manhattan so a bit of a trip, but it's absolutely worth it–like stepping into a tiny piece of medieval France.

I've only been to New York once, but the place I kept going back to was the Rockefeller building. It was right across the road from my favourite NY store, Macy's, and my other favourite NY store, Tiffany's, and from St Patrick's cathedral (which we have one of here in Melbourne – cathedral twins!).

Every time we went, there was something great I hadn't noticed. The building itself is incredibly beautiful, and the shops all around hold fascinating treasures, and the shops underneath have great food, and the building has a cool NBC shop, and the view from the top will blow you away. I'm tearing up a little at the memory.

My other most favourite place in NY was Ellis island, which is where immigrants to America were first processed. Most of them came from Europe, so when the building was built, it was designed around European castles, and they got it right, because it looks stunning. The guides are all-knowing and wonderful, and the sense of history is amazing. Just being there and feeling the joy that people must have felt to get off that boat they'd been on for months, and walk around on the grass, and anticipating seeing their family who'd come out before them, and be in America, that land of wonder and promise… I can't describe it. I loved it, and still think of it often.

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